One of the most common causes of low back pain is disc herniation. Disc herniation has many levels and degrees but, most of the disc herniation will resolve and improves with proper treatments, one of the most effective method is the McKenzie Method® of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy® (MDT) is an internationally acclaimed method of assessment and treatment for spinal and extremity pain developed by New Zealand Physiotherapist Robin McKenzie. It has been widely used all over the world for more than 30 years. It is one of the most researched methods of active therapy to reduce back and neck pain.
We commonly see patients with disc injuries- including herniations, protrusions, bulges, and tears. Mckenzie Therapy is designed to heal the disc and biomechanically allow your body to teach itself how to avoid the pain involved.
These exercises are the main group of take-home rehabilitation exercises that we give our patients. They are required if you have a disc injury and want to get it resolved. Most of the treatment we perform in the office is passive, thus it is up to our patients to perform the active exercises at home to ensure the highest effectiveness.
BELOW IS A SUMMARY OF HOW IT WORKS:
In the Derangement Syndrome the patient m
oves in the direction that centralises symptoms or causes a lasting reduction in their intensity.
In the Dysfunction syndrome, movement is applied which remodels the soft tissues.
In Postural Syndrome, the patient adopts postures which maintain the joint in a neutral position thus avoiding prolonged end range loading of the tissues
Once the patient has learnt to treat themselves using specific movements and postures, the same procedures can be used to prevent recurrence. This is important because research has shown that spinal pain in particular has a tendency to recur and recurrences often occur with increased severity. Preventing recurrence is therefore more important than supplying short term relief through passive treatment.
In order to prevent recurrences, core stability and strengthening is the key.